Roots of Terrorism:
The Assassins
Around the end of the 11th century AD, a new sect of Islam was forming in Persia (modern-day Iran). This sect was known as the
Ismaelis, there leader
Hassan-i Sabbah.
The Ismaelis were a secretive sect of Islam, they did not practice their beliefs in public; they could not be identified.
The ruler at the time was Malik Shah, this ruler had an advisor named Nizam. Nizam became worried about this growing group, which had gained some
popularity due to the tight religious and political controls over the people of the sultan's kingdom. Nizam convinced the sultan to send a massive
army and stomp out this threat before it grew out of hand. The attack ended in a stand-off, the armies sent out to destroy Hassan eventually left.
Hassan's group were small in numbers, they could not stand up to the sultan in any conventional fashion. A royal member would be out on the road, a
peasant from the crowd would walk up and stab the royal member in the heart. This happened on several occasions, maybe two in a one week, then
nothing for months. The royal members became terrified, always looking over their shoulder, wearing heavy mail any time they would leave their
fortress.
After Malik's advisor was killed in one of these attacks, he fortified himself against Hassan's group, who were called the
Hashishins, and
started planning a massive campaign against Hassan. The leader of the Ismaeli assassins would send pleas to Malik, which emboldened his resolve until
one day he awoke to see a dagger stuck into the floorboard near his bed. Malik received a letter from Hassan asking about the dagger and about how
benevolent he was for sparing his life. Malik called off the campaign, and called a truce with the Ismaelis, but the damage had already been done and
the kingdom descended into years of chaos.
It can be argued, Hassan was the first terrorist, and his methods have permeated throughout history. The tactics for thousands of years was very
limited, an individual with a sword, a knife, or a bow.
The White Terror
This is where modern day terrorism formed.
White Terror refers to a militia group in
Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. They relied on bombs to attack their targets, such as the Czar of Russia.
The group was eventually destroyed, but the overreactions of Russia against this small group, aided in recruiting more people to a later cause. The
communist revolution.
Combating Terrorism
The goal of terrorism is not about achieving victory. Victory and defeat are not absolutes in warfare.
The goal is about setting into motion a chain of events, that later may be advantageous in achieving goals. It's used to illicit an irrational
response, an overreaction that conventional armies are not suited to combat. The heavy-handed responses are used as recruiting tools.
The terrorist has little to lose, his enemy has much to lose.
The main weakness of terrorism is isolation and having no political power. To combat terrorism, it is necessary to think rationally and not
reactionary. We need to isolate these groups, and ensure there is no reason for new generations to support their cause with knee-jerk responses.
They are weak and small in number, but they are desperate and have nothing to lose. These groups want media attention, they gain fame because of
media reporting on their actions, and in turn more misguided youths join their cause.
We cannot give them political power, or a hold onto the public sympathy, such as in the Middle East. Their territory must be taken from them, and the
public at large must not be oppressed by our actions in combating terrorists. Isolate and destroy these animals.
The people of England did not bow down to the bombings from nazi Germany in WWII, they stood firm and fought, they did not give in to fear and make
emotionally charged decisions. Stay strong Britain, do not give in to fear, and make the rational decisions when combating this evil.
Victory is gained not by the number killed but by the number frightened - Arab proverb
There is no fate worse than being continuously under guard, for it means you are always afraid. -- Julius Caesar
*Some of this information paraphrased from the last chapter of 'The 33 Strategies of War' by Robert Greene,
The Chain-Reaction
Strategy.
edit on 23-5-2017 by GodEmperor because: content
edit on 23-5-2017 by GodEmperor because: gr.